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The story is told that because of an oracle the Athenians invoked Boreas, the north wind, to help them, since another oracle told them to summon their son-in-law as an ally. According to the Hellenic story, Boreas had an Attic wife, Orithyia, the daughter of Erechtheus, ancient king of Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens.
The story is told that because of an oracle the Athenians invoked Boreas, the north wind, to help them, since another oracle told them to summon their son-in-law as an ally. According to the Hellenic story, Boreas had an Attic wife, Orithyia, the daughter of Erechtheus, ancient king of Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens.
[2] Because of this connection, so the tale goes, the
Athenians considered
Boreas to be their son-in-law. They were stationed off
+Chalcis [23.6083,38.4667] (Perseus) Chalcis in
+Euboea [23.833,38.566] (island), Nomos Evvoias, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Euboea, and when they saw the storm rising, they then, if they had not already, sacrificed to and called upon
Boreas and
Orithyia to help them by destroying the barbarian fleet, just as before at
+Mount Athos [24.316,40.166] (inhabited place), Pangaion Oros, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Athos.
[3] I cannot say whether this was the cause of
Boreas falling upon the barbarians as they lay at anchor, but the
Athenians say that he had come to their aid before and that he was the agent this time. When they went home, they founded a sacred precinct of
Boreas beside the
Ilissus river.
Histories. Herodotus. ed. A.D. Godley. Cambridge. 1920-1925.
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